so what you're saying is decriminalizing heroin won't make a difference? 
With opium and other drugs becoming global commodities and the pharmaceutical industry making opiates the drugs of mass abuse in big European and American cities, an estimated 5 out of 6 working class English families used opium on a regular basis in Victorian England. With alcoholism denounced as one of the most notable sins of the lower classes looking for an escape from a dreary existence, opium’s effects were actually preferred because it never produced the aggression or the violence that were usually associated with alcohol.
source;
Widespread narcoticism seems anomalous in Victorian England, a culture esteemed for its moral rectitude and strong family values. Yet, both early and mid-Victorian adults consumed staggering amounts of opium, and child drugging was commonplace in this environment. In some areas and among some income groups, opium feeding was nearly ubiquitous.
source;
With opium and other drugs becoming global commodities and the pharmaceutical industry making opiates the drugs of mass abuse in big European and American cities, an estimated 5 out of 6 working class English families used opium on a regular basis in Victorian England. With alcoholism denounced as one of the most notable sins of the lower classes looking for an escape from a dreary existence, opium’s effects were actually preferred because it never produced the aggression or the violence that were usually associated with alcohol.
source;
Widespread narcoticism seems anomalous in Victorian England, a culture esteemed for its moral rectitude and strong family values. Yet, both early and mid-Victorian adults consumed staggering amounts of opium, and child drugging was commonplace in this environment. In some areas and among some income groups, opium feeding was nearly ubiquitous.
source;